'Poverty on a different level': What growing up poor taught one curvy influencer about confidence

This article is supported by Old Navy. It is editorially independent, with no influence or input from the brand.

Don’t get her wrong: Shainna Harrison loves fashion. But she has come to understand that clothing is so much more than what’s on your back.

Shainna Harrison speaks at theCURVYcon on Sept. 8 in New York City. (Photo: Getty Images)

The stylist, who is also a mom and plus-size influencer, spoke at theCURVYcon on Saturday and shared that she grew up “very poor.”

“I think because of that, I learned a lot about myself and the things that I liked because I was made to make them,” she said during the “Curves & Culture” workshop, which encouraged attendees to find their unique voices to inspire fashion and was presented by Old Navy.

It wasn’t just her financial circumstances that contributed to her deeper understanding of herself, her body, and the fashion industry at large. Through her work with young people affected by the gun violence that surrounded them, Harrison learned a lot about the way adolescent individuals see themselves. “I understood confidence and poverty on a different level,” she explained.

“It really encouraged me to start to do some work in the fashion industry that wasn’t just about fashion and clothing but was more about understanding your circumstances and loving yourself past them and through them.”